In Shaxi Ancient Town, Jianchuan County, Yunnan Province, there is a well-preserved ancient tea-horse road market, which is called "Sideng Sifang Street" by the outside world. It is as famous as "Sifang Street" in Lijiang, but the Square Street in Shaxi Ancient Town is It was left over by the men of the horse racing gang in history, and it is also the only well-preserved street market on the ancient road today.
Jianchuan County, affiliated to Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is located in the middle of the Hengduan Mountains in northwest Yunnan. Since the Qin Dynasty, Jianchuan has become an important passage on the ancient "Tea Horse Road". The Ancient Tea-Horse Road is a major channel for foreign exchanges. Because the transportation process of the transaction is mainly through caravans, and the main items traded are tea and salt, so later generations call it "The Ancient Tea-Horse Road".
Shaxi, located in the southeast of Jianchuan County, is called "Bazi" by the locals, which means the plain between valleys. About after the Tang Dynasty, Misha, which is separated by a mountain from Shaxi Bazi, began to dig well salt. Because Shaxi was the closest to the salt well, a large number of salt caravans from Tibet and northwestern Yunnan flocked to Shaxi to trade. Shaxi Bazi began to become an important trading wharf on the ancient tea-horse road. Sifang Street in Sideng was also formed during that period.
In ancient times, the rise of a town must be a "water dock" or "land dock" with convenient transportation. Because of the business, this place will gather popularity. On the outskirts of Shaxi Ancient Town, there is a Heihui River, which is also called "Heihui River" by the locals. This river, which is more than 20 meters wide at its widest point, passes around the ancient town of Shaxi. In ancient times, the banks of this river were the most ideal resting places for caravan drivers.
There is an ancient blue brick bridge called "Yujin Bridge" on the Heihui River, which still spans the Heihui River today. It is said that caravans who came to Shaxi had to pass the bridge when they entered or left the ancient town. Once the transaction is completed, the men drove the horse team, and the bells rang in the horse team, left the village gate from the ancient town, stepped on the green bricks of the "Yujin Bridge" again, and waved goodbye to the ancient town of Shaxi.
The center of the ancient town is the place called "Sideng Sifang Street" today. Sifang Street is actually not a square street, it is more like an L-shaped curved ruler. At the end of a straight street, there is a side street. The location of Hengjie is the center of Sifang Alley, where a group of ancient buildings such as the ancient theater stage, Xingjiao Temple, and Ouyang Courtyard are gathered.
The pavement of Sifang Street is all paved with red sandstone slabs. It is said that when the pavement of Sifang Street was being renovated a few years ago, each stone slab was dug out and numbered in sequence. After the roadbed was completed, it was laid back according to the original number. In order to protect the stone road, driving is strictly prohibited on Sifang Street today. Tourists can only park their vehicles in the parking lot outside.
On the empty stone road between the ancient stage and Xingjiao Temple, there are two tall ancient locust trees. There is a saying that before going out, the caravan men in Shanxi must have a locust tree seed in their pockets. When in a foreign land, the man who drove the horse would often take out the seeds of the locust tree to have a look, so that he could always remember the big locust tree in his hometown in Shanxi.
There are three village gates on Sifang Street in Sideng, which are Dongzhai Gate, Nanzhai Gate and Beizhai Gate. The west side is close to the mountain and it is difficult for pedestrians to pass through, so the Zhai Gate is not built. In the past, the Dongzhai Gate was connected to the Dali area, the Nanzhai Gate was connected to the salt mining area, and the Beizhai Gate was connected to Tibet, Nepal and other places. After leaving the gate of the village, there is a narrow path, which is often called the ancient tea-horse road.
The most famous one on Sifang Street is "Xingjiao Temple". It was built in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. Now there are more than 20 murals on the walls of the temple, all of which were created by monks in the temple during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. Xingjiao Temple is also the only one in Shaxi Ancient Town that needs to buy tickets before entering, because the entire Shaxi Ancient Town is free of tickets.
Facing the "Xingjiao Temple" is the ancient stage in Shaxi Town. The local people say that if a person has not performed on this stage in his life, he is not a real Shaxi native. Most of the Bai people in Shaxi Ancient Town are good at singing and dancing, so every Shaxi person is proud of being able to perform on the ancient stage, and regards performing on stage as an important symbol of Shaxi people.
In 2001, the World Monumental Architecture Foundation announced in New York, USA that the Serdeng District in Shaxi, Yunnan, China, was selected as a list of 101 endangered buildings in the world. At that time, the Great Wall of China, the Leiqie Synagogue in Shanghai, and the Daqin Christian Pagoda and Monastery in Shaanxi were also included in this catalog. This also made the Shaxi Ancient Town, which was originally unknown and located in the valley, become famous overnight.
Today's Shaxi Ancient Town no longer sees the prosperity of the "Tea Horse Ancient Road" in the past, and the scene of driving caravans in those days has also disappeared. The stone road where the horse bells rang are only a memory. Perhaps, this memory is what people often call "nostalgia". About the author: Lu Jianhua Photography (photographer, traveler, self-media person)